Dispensing apparatus.



A. B. BRANCH a T. G. BALL.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT. 25,1914.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

THE NoRRls PETERS CO.. PHDTD-LITHO., WASHINGTON, D.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY B. BRANCH AND THOMAS Gr. BALL, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISPENSING APPARATUS.

Application filed September 25, 1914.

To all whom t may concern.'

' Be it known that we, ANTHONY B. BRANCH and THOMAS G. BALL, citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh,

in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispensing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention has been to Y produce a simple and handy apparatus especially adapted for use in grocery and other stores for facilitating the measuring out or weighing of different commodities,

' has been dispensed whereby the discharge of the container is closed at such time. This and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and claimed.

Reference will now be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional'view taken about on the line 2 2 of Fig. l but somewhat enlarged. Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing more fully the spring means coacting with the cut-oil of the dispensing container; and Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the means to adjust the trip member carried by the supporting rod which actuates the scales.

Throughout the following detail description, and on the several figures of the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

In the practical embodiment of the present invention it is contemplated to employ a main dispensing container which directlyk specification of Letter-s Patent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

serial No. 863,589.

carries a scales of almost any conventional type embodying a suitable indicator. A weight supporting rod is mounted on said container to actuate the indicator of the scales and carries a trip member adjustably mounted thereon. At the discharge portion of the container is a cut-off or valve normally held closed by suitable spring means but adapted to be locked open by a locking member. Trip means are provided intermediate the trip member on said rod, and said locking member whereby a weight suspended from the rod is capable of moving the trip member to operate the tripping means and release the cut-olf from the lock member hus permitting said cut-off to close in an automatic manner after a certain quantity of the substance or commodity in the container has issued therefrom through the discharge.

Describing the invention specifically, having in view the foregoing general disclosure of the organization of devices employed, on the drawings A denotes the dispensing container designed to be of any suitable size to hold the particular commodity to be dispensed therefrom. At its upper portion the container has a cover l and on its side is located the scales 2 embodying the indicator 3. At a suitable point in its side wall the container A has a vertically elongated window 4 through which the contents of the container may be seen and affording a convenient gage to inform the operator when said contents need replenishing. The container A has its lower end reduced to provide a discharge 5 closed by means of a cutod 6 which may be a valve having a suitable handle 7, the cut-off being movable in a horizontal plane. A spring of the coil type designated 8 is connected with the cut-olf 6 in such a manner as to normally tend to force said cut-od into the closed position shown in Fig. 2.

Mounted to slide vertically at a side of the container A is the weight supporting or sustaining rod 9, the upper end of which is operatively connected by any conventional means known in the art, as for instance, a rack and pinion, not shown, with the indicator 3. At its lower end the rod 9V is provided' with a hook 9* adapted to have engaged therewith the bail l0 of receptacle 1l. While the receptacle 11 may be a bucket, box, or any similar receptacle it is preferably of the special construction shown in the drawings having a valve 12, at its lower discharge end.

At one'side of the cut-off 5 is disposed a lock member 13 vertically slidable into and out of engagement with respect to the cutod 6 and adapted when moved downward after the cut-oit 6 has been opened to engage with the latter and hold the same in its opened position. A spring 13al surrounding the member 13 normally tends to force the same downward and a lever 11 pivoted to a depending bracket 13b on the container A is attached at one end to t-he lock member 13 and secured at its other end to a vertically sliding actuating bar 15. Preferably the bar 15 and the rod 9 aire mounted to slide in the -same keeper 16, (see Fig. 1) though this is not absolutely necessary to the invention. The rod 9 is provided intermediate its ends with Uraduations shown at 9 and mounted on the rod at this portion is an adjustable trip member 17 having a lateral projection 17 adapted to strike against the upper end of the bar 15 and torce the latter downward assuming that the member 9 is correspondingly moving downward. Any suitable means may be provided to hold the member 17 at a desired adjustment the spring finger 18 shown clearly in Fig. 5, being preferably employed and engaging in a serrated edge of the rod 9 for coperation in an obvious manner.

In the actual use of the invention and having in mind that there is a correspondence between the graduations 9 of the rod 9 and the graduations of the scales 2 with which the indicator 3 cooperates when it is desired to dispense the commodity in the container A, the operator adjusts the trip member 17 on the rod 9 to a position correspending according to the graduations 9 with the weight of the material desired to be discharged from said container. This being done the operator opens the cut-off 6 which is immediately locked open by the member 13 and will remain open even though the operator does not stay where he can supervise the operation of the apparatus. Necessarily a certain portion of the contents of the container A issues from the discharge 5 on opening of the cut-oit 6 and passes into the receptacle 11. The receptacle 11 and the material received thereby gradually increase in their weight and such weight is registered by the scales 2, the rod 9-bein`g pulled downward in the process. At a certain point in the movement of the rod 9 the trip member 17, which has been said to allow a certain weight of the commodity to pass into the receptacle 11, will strike the bar 15 and tilt the lever 14C downward thereby rel'leasing the locking member 13. The raising of the "lockmeinber 13 disengages the same from the cut-0E 6 and the cut-011' immediately closes the discharge 5V discontinuing the discharge of the commodity the exact amount or weight ofthe latter having been dispensed vinto the receptacle 11. The receptacle 11 may then be removed from the Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is:

1. In dispensing apparatus, the combination of a dispensing container having a discharge, a cut-ofi1 Ifor said discharge, means to close said cut-ofi, scales mounted on the container, a supporting rod adapted to support weight, comprising material dispensed from the container, and operatively connected with the scales for actuation of the same, means to lock said cut-od in an open position, said lock means comprising a lock member adapted to engage the cut-Orland trip means intermediate said rod and the lock member and independent of the lock member for tripping the latter at a predetermined point in the movement of the rod whereby to release and permit closing of the cut-0E.

2. 1n dispensing apparatus, the combination ot a dispensing container having a discharge, a cut-od for said discharge, means to close said cut-oid", scales mounted on the container, a supporting rod adapted to support weight, comprising material dispensed from the container, and operatively connected with the scales for actuation of the same, means to lock said cut-ott in an open position, said lock means comprising a lock member coperative with the cut-off to hold the latter in an open position, a trip member adjustably mounted on said rod, and a trip means consisting of a bar operable by said trip member, and a lever connecting the bar with the lock member, for actuation of the latter whereby to release and permit closing of the cut-off.

3. ln dispensing apparatus, the combination of a container having a discharge, a cutott ltor said discharge, means normally tendwith, a Weight suspending rod coacting With the scales, a cutoif for the container, a lock member to hold said cut-oil in an open position, a spring normally tending to close the cut-off, a bar mounted adjacent to said rod, a keeper in Which the rod and the bar are slidable, a lever connecting the bar and said lock member, and a trip member adjustable on the rod and engageable with said bar at a predetermined point in the movement of the rod.

5. In dispensing apparatus, the combination of a container, scales associated therewith, ay Weight suspending rod coacting with the scales, a out off for the container, a lock member to hold said cut oil' in open position, a trip member adjustable on said rod and movable therewith, said trip member having a projection extending therefrom, and a bar mounted adjacent to the rod and lying in the path of movement of the projection on the trip member aforesaid and operatively connected to the lock member, said projection being adapted to impinge the end of the bar at a predetermined point in the movement of the suspending rod, to disengage the lock member from the cut off.

In testimony whereof We ai'HX our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

ANTHONY B. BRANCH. THOMAS Gr. BALL. Witnesses:

WVM. H. GRAY, Ro; J. ASTON.

Oulu of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addr-elsing the Commissioner of Intent: Washington, D. 0 'i 

